J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

Getting concerend (as many will be) about the enrgy cost increases due, 25% I heard, I suspect they say 25% so we dont complain when it goes up 15% and feel like we have got off lightly.

Ditto the Council Tax.

Anyway, am after tips on conserving energy or even spending some money to get more efficient.

Already I have

Had the house Cavity insulated
Replaced all the bulbs
Finally got the bloody pc to do the standby thing

What else can be done other than geting the kids wife to not go out and leave on 2 pc's, 8 lights and two tellys which is what I came home to the other night.

_RIP_

I've heard wearing duffel coats in bed is the next big thing

Kevin Groat

Presume you have double glazing?
What sort of heating do you have?

Lots of good advice on here.

http://www.est.org.uk/

If you get serious - windmill, solar, heat pump then there are grants available.

^OPM^

eat lots of beans-with the amount i fart i can still wear shorts in my house and feel the warmth-plus i get a cheap jacuzzi as well when in bath-sorted

ChrisB

Scottish Power have already jacked up the prices:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4698346.stm

SJ_Skyline

Glad we signed up with British gas earlier this year! It was a shade more expensive at the time but with prices fixed until 2010 it's starting to make sense.

I distinctly remember old man lewis giving the Mrs stick about this too so nuts to you lewis!

imlach

Turn the rads down a few notches in rooms you rarely use (assuming you have thermostatic valves). ie, in a bedroom, do you need it to be roasting (sleep better if cooler).

Turn your main thermostat down a notch and wear a jumper when you get cold.

Shower instead of bath.

Don't boil a full kettle if you don't need it.

Use any spare water from the kettle to fill the basin for washing up!

Don't use a dishwasher/tumble dryer unneccesarily.

Oh, and spend more time in other people's houses so you can benefit from their heating while yours is off

_RIP_

Arent those two complete energy hogs, especaially tumble dryers? My mother uses a tumble dryer, brand new LEG and the drying cycle takes up to three hours to dry a duvet cover.

I've managed to do without both so I guess I'm super green

TonyG

Check your loft insulation. Lag the hot water pipes. Insulation jacket on the hot water tank. They're probably already done, but check them anyway.
If your central heating boiiler's getting on a bit, have it replaced with something newer - whihc should be a bit more efficient.

imlach

Absolutely. Terrible energy users. If you're heating the house anyway, clothes will dry fine with 24 hours on a clothes horse in the spare room. The trouble is, they don't dry as soft as some people would like, hence their preference for tumble drying.

imlach

Other ones? If buying new appliances, ensure they are Class A.

Defrost your freezer....if the ice is building up, it'll be less efficient.

Turn lights off in rooms you are exiting. A couple of 100W bulbs left on for 8 hours a night continuously equals 584kWh per year - and at 10p per kWh, that's £58/year just for a couple of bulbs....

_RIP_

Probably the same people who use fabric conditioner on their towels to make them all fluffy, and then they wonder why they
dont dry you worth a damn

Flatcapdriver

You didn't mention whether the loft has recently been insulated and this can be done using one of the grants that local councils offer. You could also use dimmer switches in some rooms because it's not as if you need constant bright lights all the time - and switch off appliances with standby lights - totally unneccessary.

Other than that, it's mostly down to investment in new products as and when they need replacing, so I'd suggest:

Fridges - make sure you get a new fridge with isobutane (R600A) as the refrigerant gas with at least and 'A' rating. Liebherr now do one with 'AAA' rating which will reduce electricity consumption. Energy ratings apply to all domestic appliances so make sure you get the most efficient you can afford.

Heat Pump - why on earth we don't use more of these in the UK is beyond me. A ground sourced heat pump is both practical and efficient - it's practically free energy.

CHP - interestingly, these are now commercially available with one of the electricity boards offering them for around £2000.00 although I think they've all sold out. Brilliant way of reducing energy costs.

Apart from some good practical solutions already offered, I'd suggest some lifestyle changes too and judging by some of my neighbours and 'er indoors, it seems to me as if too many people spend too much time indoors. Get outside (and the kids) and burn some energy in the garden instead of staying cooped up inside because once you return to the house, it will seem very warm.

messiah

Have you been on uswitch lately?

One way of saving water is use those inflatable bags that go in the cistern - but a spare brick or 2 does the same job.

you can get foil faced sheets to go behind radiators to reflect heat back into the room instead of it heating your walls up.

Flatcapdriver

The other option is to take the view, that if it's yellow let it mellow, if it's brown, flush it down. Saves heaps of water.

messiah

PMSL - although I'm not on a water meter so don't have to resort to such..er..behaviour

Flatcapdriver

True but there is a fair amount of energy consumed at 'producing' clean water at the local sewage treatment works. I have adopted this approach when working from home plus slashing on the compost bins which is good for nitrogen production.

I'd like to claim ownership of the phrase but I came across it in film with Dustin Hoffman (who said it) the other day.